📄 Archived: 2025-08-06 10:54:18 UTC
🔗 Source: https://old.reddit.com/r/RingMaking/comments/osjkgf/hey_i_wanna_start_with_ringmaking/

# Hey I wanna start with ringmaking

r/RingMaking • by u/maundama • 6 points

I have been thinking abaut starting making rings at home for a pretty long while and have been binging every video on YouTube abaut it. So my question is what equipment do I absolutely need to make good rings? (I mainly wanna start with coin and wooden rings) The equipment quickly skyrockets in price so I want to know what I need.

## Comments

u/RichterScaleRings • 3 points

You can get started making wood rings with nothing but a drill press and some hand tools if you get creative. I did a video on my YT channel making a ring with minimal tools.

A small wood lathe makes life easier and is fairly affordable. You can buy mandrels, but it’s easy enough to make your own from wood scraps till your ready to spend more.

u/maundama • 1 points

Thanks but I want to also do coin rings ad similar easy metal work Your advice on wooden rings is still appreciated though

u/RichterScaleRings • 4 points

Coin rings are an entirely different setup of their own from other metal rings. They’re very different from traditionally fabricated rings, which is entirely different again from other metal rings like Damascus steel or titanium

u/nightlords_blue • 1 points

What would you say is the best way to start on a pair of metal band-style rings? I'm wanting to handmake a pair for my girlfriend and I, for when I propose, but I don't know where to start, really.

u/RichterScaleRings • 1 points

Depends a lot on what kind of metal you want to use and how much you want to spend on equipment really. If you want to use silver or gold you could make some very basic bands by buying the metal stock close to size and bending, soldering, filing, sanding to shape for maybe 150-200$ worth of tools

u/nightlords_blue • 1 points

My budget isn't insane (couple hundred bucks all round, if that's feasible) and I don't want to use any precious metals. I saw a sheet of Damascus steel I could get for like $30 - probably won't be great, but I've heard that rings made out of it are good quality.

We're practical people and I'm just wanting to learn about the craft and make a few pieces for sentiment and out of love. I've seen a few really cool looking rings on here that are just simple bands polished down with inlays, and even though the inlaying would likely be too complex for me, I'm down to try whatever.

u/RichterScaleRings • 1 points

Enough silver for a couple rings wouldn’t be too crazy price wise. Damascus is a whole other beast. You won’t be able to solder like silver or gold, so you’ll have to find a workaround there- usually a Damascus ring would be made from solid rod . Plus you’ll need a setup for acid etching Damascus too.

u/nightlords_blue • 1 points

Okay. Do you have any advice on how to start? Like the physical process of making aforementioned rings?

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Sorry to press with the questions, but I'm an absolute novice.

u/RichterScaleRings • 1 points

There are probably plenty of YouTube videos for making a basic band, but the high level process would be cut your stock to size with a jewelers saw, bend it into rough shape on a ring mandrel with a hammer/mallet, solder the joint together, clean off any scale from soldering with pickle pot or files and sandpaper, round it out and size the ring back on the ring mandrel, then file and sandpaper for the final shaping and finishing. You could stop with a brushed or satin finish if you want or get some polishing compound and buffing wheels to polish it out.

u/nightlords_blue • 1 points

Thanks for the help. Much appreciated!

u/Fictional_or_True • 2 points

I started with spoon rings (I’m still in the very starting stages and have only made four rings.) I started out with buying a ring mandrel. It came with a nylon and rubber hammer. That’s all I used, plus some tools I had like snips, wrenches, and larger hammers, to make my rings. If you want to start with metal rings without getting tons of tools, spoon/fork rings are the way to start, in my opinion.

u/SameResolution4737 • 1 points

The trouble with that is stock for me - I'm a member of two different Facebook pages for buying/selling silver plate & sterling silver flatware. If it is a reasonable price it's gone before I even get a chance & the rest is priced way above my price point. Plus the only ones I seem to be able to sell are stainless steel - even though it's the same price as the silver (I ought to tack on a $5 surcharge for difficulty.)

u/Zealousideal-Ad9859 • 1 points

This will get you started: https://www.instagram.com/p/COg3_73LMdd/?utm_medium=copy_link

u/SameResolution4737 • 1 points

As far as coin rings - look up a YouTube channel The Mint/Change You Can Wear. Skylar is sort of the dean of coin ring making. He has one video which gives you 3 setups for making rings: budget, moderate & deluxe. He also has some videos on making coin rings basically with hand tools. You want his earlier videos - he's now getting into setting stones in his rings & other, more advanced techniques (which are fine after you get your feet under you.)